Shades of Grey
by Sefirax
Summary: A disgruntled warrior is sent on a mission along with three other people. The mission, to take down Wall Maria and then infiltrate the Walls. Of course, morals have to get in the way of everything and soon the lines of what's "good" and what's "evil" get blurred out of existence. OC/Annie, starts with antagonist OC.
1. Chapter 1

Shades of Grey

Summary: A boy from an outside village decides to go and explore the world around him, dodging Titans and nasty step-fathers along the way. What he finds, though, will rock the foundations of those within the Wall and outside.

This will be an OC/Annie pairing, there won't be any other blatant pairings. The pairings aren't the main part of the story, it'll just be mostly a secondary plot-line.

_Thwack_

I winced at the pain lancing through my right leg. My father, whom I affectionately call _El Dicktator _for his thoroughly amazing treatment of his own family, sneered at me.

"Che, I don't even know why I bothered to train you in the first place. Stand up, Fleischer, and this time if you space out once more I promise you will not have a fun time."

Fleischer, the name he forced on me. It's not even his goddamn last name, it's just something he thought up with.

_You forced me into this, you moronic imbecile. Fucking prick, _I mentally groused in my exasperation.

My father, thankfully, didn't see the angered emotions going through my face. After a year of this torment, I gave up trying to stand up for myself. The prick, in his high-and-mighty child abuse, would treat the protests as signs of rebellion against his commands. I soon learned that standing up to him meant I get more quality time with Mr Whip.

I gripped my blade, trying to channel my hatred to the man in front of me. My father lunged once again. I jumped into the air and pirouetted, parrying the blade while launching a diagonal slice in retaliation. I tried aiming for the chest, but sadly the SOB blocked it in time. I landed on the floor on the balls of my feet, ready to have another go at killing the man.

My father grinned sadistically at me, "You are still far away from killing me, mistake."

Mistake. That was the one insult I couldn't stand, and the bastard knew it.

I glared at him, trying to channel my hatred into a glare. I sincerely hoped that looks could kill, but sadly it was not to be.

He glanced at his watch, and his eyes widened.

"Well, it was certainly nice fighting you again. I look forward to your thousandth attempt at murdering your dear father. I'm off to drink with the boys, mistake! Be sure to not sully anything with your disgusting hands. "

I could only snarl at the man.

So you may be wondering what was the deal with my profound hatred at my father. Well, stepfather but he "insisted" that I call him father. You see, my mother divorced from my father because my current father, the head of the village, wanted her for her beauty.

He imposed higher taxes on our household for no reason. At first, it was bearable since we were rather well off as a family. However, you can only take so much of a 95% taxes on incomes and assets before you cave and started going into debt.

When the debt collectors came, armed with flintlock pistols, we had nothing. We moved out of our three story house to a tiny run down house on the edge of the village. Our most valuable possession was probably my dad's fur hat, the same hat he had considered throwing out mere months ago.

When they saw that we had nothing, the debt collectors grinned and took me and my mother away. We watched as my father shouted at the collectors in words that even my potty mouth couldn't bear to form. Once we left the house I heard shouting coming from the door.

The debt collectors pulled out his pistol and shot my dad through the brain.

I still remember the tears that ran down my face at that time, and how powerless I felt.

Later, we were taken to the village leader. My current "father" forcefully took my mother as a bride as repayment for the debts owed. Later on, my mother discovered she was pregnant with the bastard's child. I'm not quite sure just what she was thinking since by that time she was already almost clinically insane. However, I think that whatever sane part of her mind was left was so averse to bearing his spawn that she would rather die than give birth to it.

They found her body in the woods a few days later.

Naturally, I wept. What 7 year old wouldn't cry when your delirious mother died from her sorrow? Leaving me as an orphan in all but name, with a man who's only reason for taking me in was because my mother refused to be separated from her son?

My "father" quickly transformed into his true, cruel nature after my mom's death. He took me under his wing, saying I was to be trained to be a proper warrior or else I would be just another delinquent on the streets, ripe for a prison term. Of course, that was the official account of things. In reality, he has just used this as an excuse to use his coveted whip on me multiple times a day without being called a child abuser by the community.

Of course, he taught me techniques along with it so I actually had something to show when it came time for the inspections of the warrior apprentices. He can't let his image be tarnished by having a worthless apprentice, and he ensured that I would have just enough to stay ahead of the competition, both within our village and outside.

I gripped my blade until my knuckles turned white. I turned from my father and stormed off, sheathing the thin claymore back into the scabbard. I'm pretty sure the wretched man was smiling coyly at having gotten under my skin, and I wanted to wipe his smirk off so badly. And permanently, if possible.

I walked to the rations dispensary store, the place where all apprentices got their food. It wouldn't do for us lowly apprentices to have a choice in what lunch we had, would it? I glanced at the long line of apprentices all looking for their afternoon meal of a steamed potato and bread and inwardly considered whether it was worth it to stand in line or simply leave and try hunting for wildlife.

I decided it wouldn't be worth it to stand in a line and wait for upwards of two hours for something I can easily get for myself, with a bit of effort.

"Che, I don't think you are going anywhere punk. You see, me and my partner are hungry and it would be SO kind of you to donate your lunch to us."

I glanced up at the hulking forms of two apprentices that looked to be older than me by a few years, with large frames and and their hands placed on their swords menacingly.

I had to admit, I was looking for something to relieve the stress of failing to kill my "father" yet again. However, I doubt that would've helped my empty stomach. I shoved past them and continued onwards.

The two teenagers looked at the retreating back of my head, sorry little minds not comprehending that the skinny 10 year old kid had just brushed them off. One of them quickly came to his senses, however, and he dashed after me.

He lunged forward, right arm extended and his hand motioning to grab my shoulder,

"You brat...!"

I quickly turned and grabbed the hand with my left hand, right hand quickly pulling out my sword with a flourish that may seem as a blur to most people, and held it to the brute's neck.

"Brat, you say? I believe you are the one with your life on the line."

The brute had a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead. After all, there IS a sharp blade held to his Adams apple, merely a few millimeters from drawing blood. The brute can even feel the cool air of the blade on his neck. He began stuttering something to the like of "mercy" while standing stock still.

_All bark and no bite, eh? _

I stared at him for a few seconds more, then withdrew my blade and sauntered off. I was fairly certain that the two were pretty scared by the quick reflexes, but just to make sure I sent them a withering glare.

They looked away and left the area.

I went back to my house to grab my trusty heart wood bow and a few arrows. Thankfully, my father and his lackeys were all out of the house so they weren't there to ruin my day even further. I went over to my bed and lifted the mattress without much effort, grabbing a tiny object and tying it around my neck. Nodding to myself in self-assurance, I left the house.

I walked to the edge of the village, where the rural folks lived. Not that the village was anything near urban or anything, but at least there were people around you. Over here, there was a single house every kilometer.

A few sauntering titans aside, there wasn't much moving. The smaller animals often fled from the lumbering titans despite their lack of aggression to the lesser forms of life. I pulled up my hood to hide my mouth, covering my breath so the titans won't see me, then continued into the trees making sure I stayed well on the top of the canopy.

I landed on a particularly thick branch and stood up, looking around for any game to hunt. A lone deer trotted into view and I had a small grin as I grabbed an arrow by the fletchings and notched it into my bow. I trained the arrow to aim for the creature's neck, making sure to account for forces like winds and gravity.

_Shnk!_

_Heh, perfect shot. Bet you didn't even feel a thing. _

I glanced around, making sure the titans were doing whatever they did when not chasing humans, and jumped down. I grabbed the still-shaking carcass and dragged it to a tree trunk, preventing the titans from sneaking up behind my back. I meticulously cut out all the large bones such as the femur of each leg to lighten the load, then proceeded to shave off any unnecessary parts such as the fat and genitals.

_Che, this was a female. Pretty young one too, guess there is one less family of deer in the forest now. _

Shaking my head, I finished the ritual with cutting off a large piece of meat that I can grab and run with, should a titan see me. After the boat of impromptu weight-loss for the deer and carefully slung the remnants across my back. Like always, the road back home is the scary one. You couldn't jump into the safety of the upper canopy where the titans can't see you, and you have a 40 pound carcass to lug around. I guess that's why no one does it, but whatever.

Danger is only dangerous when you are too scared to face it.

The forest, thankfully, was fairly docile at the time. The sky was cloudy and the air had the familiar smell that always precluded rainfall, so the titans had a slower metabolism with the reduced sunlight.

I dashed as fast as I could to the village, weaving in between trees and well out of sight of the menacing giants. A single mishap and I could be facing down a 15 meter tall class titan, which is something that I'm not quite sure I can kill with a claymore.

I turned around a tree, avoiding a small group of titans that were seemingly resting against a tree, and I instantly bumped into something.

Soft, fleshy, and extremely warm to the touch.

_Shit_

I gulped, and without even looking up I took off. No point in staring at something that can kill you in one move, you'll waste time that you could have used to high-tail it out of there. I grabbed the emergency cut I made and left the rest behind, trying to find a low branch to jump onto.

The titan roared and chased after me, seeing me the same way as I see the piece of deer meat in my hand.

_The roar came from above and had a distinctive echo by the time it reached me. Must have been tall one, and thankfully pretty far back. _

Regardless, I maintained my top speed as much as possible. I spotted a branch that was just tall enough for me to grab. I stuffed the venison into my quiver, making sure I speared it into an arrow so it didn't fly out easily, and grabbed the branch with both hands.

Using the branch as a pivot, I flung myself as hard as I could, slinging from the forest ground to the middle branches of the tree. I laid low, holding my chest against the branch, hoping that he wouldn't find me in the tree. It was then I finally got a good look at my pursuant.

_Shit, a 15 meter class. And from the looks of it, it can be an aberrant also. _

I grimaced when I realized the titan can easily grab hold of me should it see me. I was only somewhere around 17 meters off the ground, well within plucking distance.

The titan looked around for his prey, bright green eyes glancing for a tasty meal. I wasn't sure if I would've provided for a great meal, considering that I was a child that had yet to hit puberty and had very little actual meat or fat.

Nevertheless, I bet he wouldn't have minded a meal under this stormy weather.

The titan, though, turned and lumbered off in the direction he came from. I guess he didn't want to give chase when his usual source of energy wasn't emitting as many rays as it used to. Combined with the square cube law of volume vs surface area, I bet he must've felt completely famished and was more willing to just simply lie down and rest.

I yawned when I thought about the word 'rest'. The adrenaline rush gone, the familiarity of sleep threatened my senses. I took out the speared venison from my quiver and briefly considered ripping off pieces of bark from the tree to make a fire, when the sky decided to have a say in things.

_BOOM _

Rain quickly fell from the sky, droplets filtering through the canopy and hitting my hair.

_Well I hate you too, sky. I guess I'll have extra-extra rare steak tonight, deer blood flavoring free of charge. _

I glanced at the speared venison distastefully, and downed it in around two minutes.

Deciding that moving around while raw meat was slowly being digested in your stomach isn't such a great idea, I took my quiver off my back and propped it against the tree. Making sure I closed the flap, I leaned against the leathery fabric and slowly drifted off into dreamland.

I woke up in the dead of night, when every titan is on the floor and out cold. I grabbed my bow and quiver and jumped off the tree branch.

The night was very peaceful as opposed to the thunderstorms earlier in the afternoon. Tiny wisps of clouds floated lazily overhead and the moon was a waxing gibbous, providing much needed light for my journey. A cold breeze blew past me and I involuntarily shivered.

_Oh, of course. The weather report called for an evening frost didn't it?_

I ran past two titans that were lying against a single tree, eyes tracking my every movement but the lack of sunlight forced them to remain docile until daytime, allowing me to pass unhindered. I briefly considered doing something childish like sticking my tongue out at them while they were in this state, but I decided that running would be a much more productive use of my time.

I ran and ran, stopping only occasionally to catch my breath before dashing again. Until the sun comes up, running is the most important thing I can do. The forests surrounding our village, unfortunately, all looked the same. They surrounded our village in an irregular ellipsoidal shape, with the trees tight enough near our village that they provided camouflage for us inhabitants.

At least, that's what the official statement says. I personally find it easy for any titan less than 7 meters tall to fit through the gaps, but hey. As long as they don't come in and wreck our village, it's all good, right?

I came to a stop when I saw a clearing and narrowed my eyes at what I saw.

…_there's another village right next to ours?  
_

I shouldered my wet quiver and kept a hand on the hilt of my sword, looking at the sky to estimate the time.

_Alright, the moon looks like it's about to set. Waxing gibbous plus setting moon, must mean it's around 4 AM_

My teeth gritted involuntarily at that realization.

_I doubt I can make it through the forest in 3 hours. Fuck, I hope that this village isn't chock full of cannibals._

I glanced around me. So far, it seemed like most people still aren't awake yet apart from a single stable hand checking up on his horses. He turned his head and found me staring. Slight confusion flitted across his features until he squinted.

Without a word he took off in the opposite direction.

I looked behind, finding no towering 15-meter tall giant trying to chew my head off. In fact, there wasn't anything behind me apart from a bunch of trees. I watched as the stable hand ran to his barn, only to trip and fall, slamming his head against a column supporting a shed. I, despite my tired legs, went as fast as I could over to his side.

The guy was sporting a bloody forehead and his eyes were wide in fright. He cried out when he saw me reach with my right hand,

"No! Stay away!"

My eyes widened when I saw him trying to scramble up for a rake normally used to push hay together. Thinking quickly, I grabbed his hand despite his protests and kicked his legs from under him, making him fall to the ground face first. I kept my grip firm, however, so he didn't impact the floor but rather was merely a few centimeters off.

I bent down and quickly righted his posture so he was leaning against the same column he crashed into.

"Where am I?"

Mentally I smacked myself for such an insensitive question. Here was a guy almost literally shitting his pants for reasons unknown, and my first question was 'where am I?' Hell, I could have scared the guy to actually shit his pants before asking something productive. I did, after all, have a sword – people tend to shit their pants when a blade was held to their necks.

Confusion flitted across the guy's frightened eyes until they turned defiant,  
"Oh, why? So you can tell your friends where to attack next?"

Now it was my turn to be confused. Attack what? As far as I knew, our village was relatively peaceful despite having an abysmal leader that liked to take wives and torture children. The confusion must have shown on my face since the guy said,

"Stop looking like you have no idea what I'm talking about. What rank are you, some scout for your merry band of cannibals? Are you off to report this village to your band's leaders? Because I swear on my life, you won't find anything here but pain."

I looked down at my clothing in response. Sure enough, it was drenched in red blood. I took out my sword and stared at my reflection.

Oh, it was me alright. Me with a large red stain near my mouth.

_Wow, talk about forgetting to wipe. _

I looked back at the guy leaning against the column, and couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. Me, an 10-year old boy, mistaken for a scout of some cannibalistic group of wanderers. To my mind, it was one of those things that you hear from in stories, someone mistaking you for an antagonist just because you happened to have the wrong outfit on.

The guy, though, was less than happy to see my laugh. I bet he was really unnerved by the sudden laugh, poor guy.

I calmed down then replied, "I'm sorry, that was just too funny. No, I'm not a cannibal, nor am I part of a nomadic group of cannibals. That blood on my shirt is deer blood, and I'm just an apprentice lost several kilometers from my home, looking for directions. Does that make you feel better?"

The guy relaxed a bit, although the guarded expression never left his face.

"What do you have to prove that?"

I replied coolly, "Nothing, but you have my word as a warrior apprentice, is that enough? Anyways, hold still for a second. That welt on your head looks bad."

I took off my shirt and ripped off a part that wasn't caked in blood, wrapping it around his forehead. His face turned unreadable for a second as he stood up, then said,

"Warrior apprentice? You aren't part of this village though, how do you know about the rankings?"

I shrugged, "Coincidence? I mean, 'warrior apprentice' isn't a really original name."

The man offered a small smirk, "No, I guess not."

He beckoned me to follow him, which I did. We went around the barn and a small log cabin came into sight. I looked at him questioningly, to which he replied,

"That's my tiny abode. I'm hoping that the honor of a warrior apprentice is the same in your village as it is in ours, so I'll give you a place to stay for the day. My name is Ganz, by the way."

My unconscious smile slipped slightly when I thought whether to give him my official name or not,

"I'm Rowan. Rowan Vogel."

After eating a REAL meal that was actually cooked, I rested at Ganz's spare bedroom. Glancing around the fairly plain room, I couldn't help but notice the lack of furnishings.

_Huh, guess he isn't used to visitors._

I took off my weaponry and ripped shirt, leaving just my undershirt on, and went to bed.

The next day (well, later in the day) I woke up at around noon. Ganz was already up and was preparing food. When I came over, wariness flitted across his eyes but he shook it off and said,

"Brunch is ready in a few minutes. You aren't adverse to beef and broccoli, right?"

I shook my head and replied, "That would be sufficient, thanks."

I decided to go exploring the cabin a bit to kill some time. Nothing in particular was of interest until I came across a scroll that was lying on a chair. It looked like it was carelessly placed aside, so I doubted that Ganz actually cared for the scroll. However, having no other form of entertainment

_Important Notification from the Hall_

I glanced back at the turned back of Ganz, then decided to sit down and read the scroll.

_Time has come for us to finally solve the Titan mistakes. No longer shall we live in fear of the lumbering menaces to our society. Thanks to a collaborative effort between some of our most highly-esteemed doctors and tacticians, we have devised a way to take back what is rightfully ours. However, we will need warriors to perform a highly crucial part of this mission. Therefore, all apprentices nearing accession age must report to the Hall at 4 PM sharp in a month from this notice's date. That is all._

_-High Minister of the Hall_

My eyes widened when I finished reading the passage.

_The ability to defeat the Titans? _

I couldn't help but be ecstatic. The possibility of defeating the Titans? Hell, I would sign up for that in a heartbeat.

However, getting home was more important right now. Besides, who knows how long this scroll has been placed here? It was tossed on a chair that has like an inch of dust on its surface. I was about to keep looking for interesting things to look at when Ganz shouted from the kitchen,

"Brunch is ready!"

Not wishing to be a freeloader, I offered to help with shoveling hay and feeding the animals.

Ganz tried to refuse, but my adamant nature won through. He led me to the barn where the hay was stored and said,

"Half a bushel for every horse, remaining hay is to be stacked in the corner for future usage. Make sure the buckets are filled up ¾ of the way."

I nodded fervently and turned around to start my work. However, when I turned something peculiar stood out,

"Why is the ranch empty?"

Ganz replied smoothly, "We used to have more workers, but after the last titan outbreak most of us decided it wasn't worth it and left for the inner village. Those houses you see, they're all completely empty. The only ones that have people are to the north."

I looked over to the north. Sure enough, tiny wisps of smoke were floating out of chimneys in the distance.

"So you're all alone out here?"

Ganz smiled an awkward smile then said, "No, not quite. The lone building with smoke coming out the chimney over there, you see it?"

I nodded.

"A small family lives there. Their daughter is pretty nice, she occasionally comes over to help wash the horses and clean the stables, and the father is a swordsman by trade."

Ganz looked wistful for a second then said, "The mother died a long time ago to the titan raids."

I was speechless. What do you say when someone goes off on a tangent like that, then speaks about death?

Ganz continued, "You know, it's really weird the way this world works. The things you want in life, you tend to see other people get. Everyone else, just not you."

I had no idea what he was going on about.

Ganz shook his head to clear his head then said, "Anyways, I doubt that they're even here right now. They usually leave at the crack of dawn to do training. I'm going over to the sheep pen. I need the horses done before noon so they won't be full when it comes time for their midday meal."

I nodded and went off to the stables, looking back once to see Ganz walk over to the sheep pen without another word. When I neared the stable, the horses brayed in confusion.

I gulped when I realized horses' beady black eyes were following me wherever I went. Quickly, I filled up each bucket and carried them over to each of the horses' pens without looking up. Afterwards, I took the bushels and cut them in half, making sure that the strands of hay don't come flying out.

When the last half-bushel was placed, I looked around at the horses, all of whom are now content with their food.

…

_I did it? I DID IT!_

I ran out of the stable as fast as I could. It makes no sense, I know, that a kid who goes into a forest teeming with titans on a weekly basis is scared of something like a horse. But, at least you can see titans when they're coming, and they're fairly slow compared to the gallop of a horse.

I ran back to the house in haste, slowing down slightly at the door. I rapped it once, and then entered. Inside, Ganz was busy fixing a saddle with a broken stirrup. When I entered he waved at me,

"You're all finished? Great! Can you run to town and grab some ingredients? I forgot to purchase vegetables and salt last time I went there. Here's a list of the stuff I need, and here's a bag of coins to purchase the stuff with. Oh, and get yourself a new set of clothing also, on me. You'll need to wear something while I wash your clothes. Now, shoo!"

I was a bit dumbfounded at how fast Ganz shooed me out the door. I mean, one moment I was firmly within the house's boundaries, next moment I was almost at the ranch limits. I didn't even notice him pushing me.

I glanced at the list and sighed. I pocketed the coins and continued onwards to the town, trying to take in the view. I might not even come back, after all.

When I arrived at the village center, I was positively (or is it negatively) dumbfounded. Everyone looked so downtrodden here, it was scary. In fact, I WAS very scared by this town. Everyone just carried themselves to their destinations, not once looking or watching out for themselves. The coldness displayed by everyone was pretty damn spooky.

Trying to ignore the goosebumps on my back, I went over to the nearest fresh vegetable stand and looked at the list.

_More broccolis and more salt. Huh._

I grabbed a few heads of broccoli and three cups of salt and presented them to the vendor, asking, "How much, sir?"

His small eyes glanced down at my little figure and snorted, saying, "Don't know how to read, kid? Prices are right there."

He shifted to the right, and lo and behold, the prices. Previously hidden by the vendor's horizontally-challenged body.

Well, fuck you too sir.

I took out the required amount of change, not even a single copper coin more, and handed it over to the vendor, then promptly left. I could literally feel the vendor's beady eyes on my retreating back as I went looking for the nearest tailor.

I returned to the house without a hitch, apart from a few stares and sideways glances. Ganz opened the door for me and said,

"Welcome back, kiddo. I was beginning to think you had gotten lost."

I grinned at the joke, then said cheekily, "Even if I was lost, your stench can guide me back even if it's a hundred kilometers away."

Ganz whacked me in the head playfully then said, "Silly kid. Anyways, go out and do something. I won't be finished with dinner for a long time. Dinner's always the big meal, y'know?"

I mentally snorted at that, but nodded anyways. Just as when I was about to leave, Ganz said, "Grab your equipment. This place is empty, slavers or cannibals occasionally come by. Pray that you never meet them, but if you do at least you have a sword to protect you."

I nodded and proceeded to the spare bedroom to slip on the shirt and the pants, idly noting that the style of clothing was similar to my home village's.

Grasping at my trusty bow, I pulled on the string a few times to test whether it's still fit for use. Thankfully, the bow was perfectly functional. Strapping on the quiver and slinging the bow behind my back, I grasped my sword's sheath and left the room.

Ganz watched me as I left the room and said off-handedly, "You know, the other family should have come back by now. If you want, you can go say hi."

I nodded absentmindedly. To be honest, I had no intention of going over to the other family but Ganz didn't need to know that. Well, judging from the lack of questions of where I was from I guess he didn't care for much either way.

I stepped out of the house quietly, trying to not disturb the horses from their evening meals. Thankfully, every single one of them was completely focused on their food. I left the gate and closed it, deciding to just rest outside. Looking around for a place to lean on, I found a convenient pile of hay stacked right next to the road (must be a recent shipment since Ganz doesn't grow grass on his lands).

I placed my bow and quiver on the side of the stack and climbed onto the hay, deciding to watch as the sky turned from blood-red to purple. Pretty soon, I was staring at the nightly constellations and the moon.

Now, if only I remembered my stupid constellations. At least the stars looked the same, it's pretty hard to miss stuff like Orion's Belt, considering it's 3 stars in a straight line.

I was feeling perfectly content waiting for Ganz to finish cooking. The evening calm, where the only sounds are crickets and your own breathing, always helped soothe your tensed muscles. The only time when a person truly lowers their guard is when they're at rest, be it sleeping or just resting like I was now.

I guess I should've paid more attention.

_Poke_

I yelped and jumped out of my comfortable position and landed on the floor. I looked around and my eyes immediately landed on a person right in front of me, and from the looks of it she may be the same age as well. The girl had a small smirk on her face which immediately sparked a tiny tinge of annoyance in me.

The amused girl said, "I haven't seen you before."

I gave her a slight glare and said, "That doesn't mean you can go around poking people."

She crossed her arms and straightened her legs a bit. I realized what she was trying to say almost immediately.

_You didn't answer my question._

My annoyance only intensified and I fingered my blade to try and intimidate her. When her eyes landed on where my hand was, her eyes widened and I briefly thought I succeeded in scaring her.

That is, until a gleam appeared in her eyes that I was THOROUGHLY wary of. I decided to make my thoughts known,

"Hey listen, miss, I don't know what you're thinking of right now, but-"

"Annie. Annie Leonhart."

Oh, the girl had a name. Well then.

Ah, I wanted to just swat a plot bunny with this. Compared to my first story, this one was more of a "PUT THOUGHT ON PAPER BEFORE I LOSE IT" kind of thing. And yes, the other story will be on hiatus because this stupid bunny grew into a man-eating Australian rabbit.

Please leave a review, I'm not sure if I should continue this. I'm not very good at this kind of scenario, where you have to basically make up an entire place. Oh, and if you're wondering, Bertolt and Reiner do NOT come from the same village as Annie in this fic.


	2. Chapter 2

Shades of Grey

Disclaimer (oops, forgot it in Chapter 1)- I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin.

Annie looked at me expectantly, the amused glint in her steel gray eyes never faltering.

I conceded and replied, "Rowan Vogel."

She nodded and said, "That's a good name."

What exactly constitutes a good name? I wasn't sure what exactly she meant by that, but I can assume that it was meant to be a compliment.

"Er, yours as well, Leonhardt."

This conversation was getting distinctively awkward by the minute, and judging by Annie' expression she was thoroughly enjoying it.

"You never answered the other part of my question."

"I'm not from around here."

"Well I can certainly see that. So you live with Ganz?"

I shook my head and said, "Lodgings for the day, I plan on leaving tonight."

Annie' eyes widened imperceptibly and she replied, "Leaving? You are planning to leave through the forests?"

I nodded, "Of course, is there any other way to leave this place?"

Annie shrugged and said, "Ah, well it's a shame."

I couldn't tell what was going through this girl's mind right now, and that irritated me a bit. I studied her expression a bit, watching her eyes for any sign of emotion apart from amusement. However, the blue pools appeared to be void of anything else. I shifted uncomfortably a bit. Annie looked to the side and saw the weaponry leaning on the pile of hay. Her eyes gleamed at bit and before I knew it she took my blade and unsheathed it about halfway.

"Hey what are you doing to my sword?"

Annie looked back me and then at the sword. She asked casually, "Do you know how to fight?" 

I nodded in response. Looking at the blonde, she had an unassuming appearance that was devoid of any indication that she knew how to fight. However, the hoodie she wore can easily cover up any lean muscles hiding her prowess underneath.

_Wait, Ganz said that the next door neighbor was an apprentice as well. Is this her? (dur…)_

Annie said, "That's nice.", throwing back the sword at me. I caught it by the sheath and placed it back down. She looked up at the sky for a second then turned around and said, "Well, time sure flies by when you are having fun. I hope I'll see you around."

_Her definition of having fun is making others feel uncomfortable? What? _

I couldn't say I was hoping to see her around either, but I replied, "Yea, same I guess."

Annie looked back and replied, "I'm sure you didn't mean that whole-heartedly, but thanks." 

I bristled slightly but decided against giving a rebuttal when Ganz came out of his shack, hollering about how dinner was ready. I glanced back at the girl, whose retreating back disappeared into a house on the other side of the street. I picked up my weaponry and walked back into the house. Ganz, after looking around for something (most likely bandits or cannibals), shut the door and locked it with a plank.

I walked over to the dinner table, where sure enough it was beef and broccoli. This time, it was with mashed potatoes though.

Ganz looked sheepish when he saw the slightly deadpan look on my face and said, "Sorry, I normally don't see any guests around here so I didn't bother learning how to cook anything else. This might not be much, but it should be enough food for your trip back."

I, however, was no longer thinking about the lack of variance in food choices. The fact that Ganz was taking care of a foreign kid for a day out of just being humane finally struck me. I smiled involuntarily and said,

"Thank you."

Ganz looked puzzled for a second, but later he broke into a huge smile, "Don't mention it, hope you like the food."

I looked at the food with gleaming eyes and instantly sat down for dinner. In seconds, the plate was cleared. I made sure to clear the plate completely, until it looked like it was dipped in bleach and rubbing alcohol.

I glanced at the clock on the wall, overlooking the cracked glass face and reading the hands behind it.

_9:30_

_The sky should be completely black by now.  
_

However, a small part of me didn't really want to leave. Ganz's hospitality made me feel at "home" and his sheepish acknowledgement of his cooking skills had a friendly vibe to it. What was waiting for me at home, anyways? My step-father? I'm not sure he's even aware that I'm a human and not something to show off to others. However, I'm afraid that he might come looking for me. Additionally, I've spent a whole day enjoying Ganz's hospitality, and the only thing I've helped him in return with is feeding the horses.

Speaking of Ganz, he was currently washing dishes, despite them being sparkling clean already. 

"The dishes are clean already." 

Ganz was shaken out of his reverie by that, and he glanced down at the clean-as-silk dish. He laughed a bit and said, "Yeah, they are."

I looked at Ganz for a bit, studying his face. Most people don't think that 10-year olds have the capacity to think clearly and judge people from their emotions, but in reality most 10-year olds do. It's just that we don't care about what older people think and we just focus on the stuff that actually matter, like toys.

As a 10-year old that has only known pain and fighting, though, I guess I was meant to be anything but someone that acted their age. Those that felt pain before, both physically and emotionally know when another person is hurting. Just like now.

I asked Ganz, "What's on your mind?"

Ganz studied my face a bit, then said, "Perceptive little kid, aren't you?"

I shrugged, "You weren't exactly hiding your emotions." 

Ganz smiled sadly and replied, "Guess not."

He replaced the sad look in his eyes with a quick mask of casualness, but even a toddler could've told the difference between the two.

I wasn't sure whether to pry. However, judging from Ganz's forlorn expression, it was clear that whatever was bugging him wasn't related to me, at least directly. Which was a good thing; I don't know what to say if Ganz somehow grew attached to me in less than 24 hours.

Ganz, however, murmured, "Do you want to listen to a grown man's sob story?"

I nodded.

He walked over to the kitchen cabinet and pulled something down from it, something square. It was a picture of a younger him, with curly brown hair, and a girl with straight brown hair and blue eyes, both beaming at the cameraman. I could tell where this was going, but despite that it was Ganz's time to weep. Best give someone a shoulder to cry on rather than a cold shoulder to his troubles.

"Her name was Arelia. She was my younger sister, and after our parents died to a cannibal raid she was all I have left. She had a great smile, and a crazy love for this ranch. These horses, each one of them were once pampered by her to the point where they would only answer to her calls. Heh, it took me a long time for them to actually accept me as their new caretaker. "

Ganz stared at the picture, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. He turned his head up, looking at me with shining eyes,

"When she died, I swear the horses knew it somehow. They would not eat, drink, or sleep. They would make braying noises during the day, then would pace around the stable at night."

_Ganz..._

He wiped his eyes with his palm, sniffing once. He then said, "You know, she always wanted to see the outside world. She would go on and on about there being flowing rivers of boiling red liquids outside, flowing sheets of ice kilometers long, and vast jungles of trees where it rains constantly."

He turned his gaze to the window and sighed, "She left around eleven years ago to see the world with her favorite horse. I told her to stop with this nonsense and just live here in peace, where it was safe, but she wouldn't listen to me."

I decided to save him from saying what became of her and asked softly, "She never came back?"

Ganz shook his head sadly. He then looked at me with hopeful eyes, making me wonder what he was thinking. Suddenly, he thrust the picture into my hands and wrapped my fingers around it.

"Can you help me with a request?"

I wasn't sure if I nodded or not, but he continued, "Since you have experience with the outside world, can you find her for me? Even if it's news on her death or something, I need to know. I've been meaning to leave this place to go search for her, but I never summoned up enough courage to venture out of these trees."

He sighed and said, "I know it's a long shot, she may even have been eaten by a titan the second she left, but I can't sit here and do nothing anymore. Please, will you do this for me?"

I was unsure about this, but anything to make him feel better, "Of course, I'll keep an eye out."

He gave me a beaming smile in response and said, "Thank you, thank you!"

It was with that note that I left the house. I switched my quiver to the other shoulder and left the ranch limits, looking back once to see Ganz waving goodbye. I waved back then turned and walked away.

"Leaving so soon?"

I turned back to see Annie come up to me, the way smile still plastered on her face. I mentally cringed a bit at more verbal torture, but then verbally said,

"Yes. I have to go while the titans are resting."

Annie nodded and said, "Ah, yes, titans run off of sunlight, do they not?"

Suddenly she grabbed me by the shoulder and her eyes turned to shards of blue ice. I reflexively moved my hand to my sword but she held my other hand tightly. She said in a cool tone,

"I need to test a hunch I have. It would do you well to not resist. Don't worry, it won't leave lasting marks."

I wasn't sure what she was planning, but whatever it was I want no part in. I struggled, but the angle which she held my arms at made them unable to exert out the full force that I can normally do.

I felt a shift in her right hand and I turned to see what she was doing, only to have the sensation of a bee sting rattle my left hand.

_Ssssssss... _

Steam erupted from the small cut in my hand. I finally managed to wrench my hand from Annie's vice grip and look at the hand she had cut. I could already see the skin starting to appear from the dermis below.

(AN: I always found it annoying how skin can sew itself together, as if the uppermost layers of the skin had the ability to reproduce. Did you know that most of the cells in the upper layer of your skin are dead? Dead people don't reproduce, and neither do cells.)

I glared at Annie, who's cold expression was replaced by her usual smirk.

"Just confirming a suspicion. You can leave now."

I opened my mouth to say something colorful, but my protest died in my throat when I heard her next sentence,

"I'll see you inside the walls then, Rowan Vogel of Vertrauendorf."

I looked at Annie in slight shock but quickly composed myself and asked, "You...how do you know?"

Annie gave a slight shrug and said something simple, "Wir bewegen."

My eyes grew wide, barely able to catch that phrase, and I barely managed to stutter out my response, "Wir stürmen."

Annie's smirk grew lopsided, "Wir sparen."

I slowly had a similar grin on my face, and Annie said, "Well, I'll be seeing you then."

I nodded watched as Annie turned around and left.

_I guess, no matter where you are you'll always meet a friendly face. _

I leapt into the forest cover, heart lifted by the exchange of words and the discovery of a compatriot. As I passed by titans after titans, I couldn't help but wonder about the other members of the upcoming mission.

I walked into the village largely soundless. Arriving at the crack of dawn, I wordlessly walked into my log cabin and crept upstairs into bed, not bothering to take off any of the clothes. Thankfully, my stepfather was not currently home, most likely doing his weekly rounds around the village or something.

I decided to get some quick shut eye, hoping that today wasn't another one of those training days.

"Get up, shithead."

My eyes creaked open reluctantly. Judging from the position of the sun, it must be around 10 AM. In other words, I got around 3 hours of sleep.

I think I have a right to be momentarily grumpy, don't you think? However, I've learned that being grumpy to my stepfather usually resulted in punishment befitting someone like a robber. Usually stuff like lashing.

So, I did what I was told. I got up and looked at him and asked, "Yes?"

He sneered and said, "You were not present last night, where were you?"

"I went into the forest for training, but was delayed from returning by the thunderstorm and the incoming daylight."

I couldn't exactly tell him that I was out hunting for a meal. Knowing the proud bastard, he would be insulted that his own apprentice deigned the village rations to be unworthy of my consumption.

He seemed to buy it when he said, "Very well, at least you have been using your time wisely. Although knowing you, you most likely just wasted that time walking around the forest exploring."

I winced a bit, but thankfully he didn't notice.

"You are needed at the barracks in two hours time, go prepare yourself and make yourself presentable. Remember what the punishment is for tardiness."

"50 lashes and stable duty for a month, yes sir."

"Then I'll leave you to it then. Remember, noon."

I nodded, but mentally I was thinking of a hundred ways to stay the bastard without anyone noticing.

He left the room, leather shoes audibly smacking against the wooden floorboards. I waited until I heard the door closed, then made my way over to the bathroom.

I looked at the mirror at looked at my (admittedly dirty) appearance. I looked at my silvery blonde hair, matted with dirt from their usual spiked appearance. My tired pale blue eyes then turned to the other features of my face, such as the distinct jawline and the higher-than-average cheekbones. All of it stood out on my slightly tanned skin.

I decided that I needed a bath, badly. Unfortunately, hot water is only available at night. The communal well will have another visitor today.

After the bath in cold water, I quickly made my way to the currently-empty rations line. The lone server glanced at my appearance and sighed briefly,

"Well, you came at a great time. Our lunch servings won't be ready for another 45 minutes, so all we have are cold potatoes."

Cold showers and cold brunches. Awesome day so far. Munching on the soggy potato, I slowly made my way over to the barracks. The road there was filled with people, much more than normal anyways, and they were all headed in the same direction. It was like the entire village turned up for whatever was going on at the barracks today.

I weaved in and out of the crowd, trying to get to the barracks. There, a row of warriors blocked the entrances from the incoming sea of people, and corralled them away from the barracks. Pushing a little, I finally made my way to the front of the crowd and went to the nearest warrior, clad in the official garb of leather armor, with pads around the joints, and menacing unsheathed swords. A cloth hanging from the waist with a turtle picture signified that these were of the Guard legions.

"I was told by Leader Xavier to come here before noon?"

He squinted at me then said, "Apprentice Rowan Fleischer?"

I nodded.

He beckoned for the other soldier to open the doors to the stone barracks, then ushered me in.

"Go to the second meeting hall. You're the last to arrive, but don't worry, you're still early."

I walked into the familiar barracks, a place where the stone walls forbid anything resembling warmth from entering the building. It was dark and damp, with water trickling down the walls. Once inside, I went to the designated second meeting hall, where two additional warriors stood. These were wearing a different sash on their waist, a lion's head.

_Special Operations_

I couldn't help but stand straighter when I saw them, tall and proud, in front of the house. For all the faults that my stepfather has, the one thing that he's done right is making the Special Operations squadron of elite warriors. They were what everyone aspired to be nowadays, the ability to venture out and see the real world on missions, to fight those that would threaten us.

In case it wasn't pretty clear, I wanted to be a Special Operative.

I pushed the double wooden doors open and stepped inside. There, I saw my stepfather with his two usual guards, as well as a broad-shouldered blond teenager and a tall brunette with a brow shining with sweat.

My stepfather grunted to acknowledge my arrival, and then said, "Well, since the third member has finally deigned to arrive, let us begin."

He unfurled a scroll, revealing a map. Three concentric circles were depicted on the map, one inside another. Each one of them had a label depicting their names.

_Wall Maria, 480km in radius.  
Wall Rose, 380km in radius._

_Wall Sina, 250km in radius._

He pointed to the bottom of the outermost circle, Wall Maria, where it was labeled 'Shiganshina District'.

"The time has come for the mission that we spoke about a year ago to take place. Your objective is to obtain something known as 'The Coordinate'. Using The Coordinate, we can possibly control the titans and destroy them. I'm sure you are all aware of the history of the titans and their status as a failed experiment?"

Everyone, excluding the guards, nodded.

"After this is over, they will be extinguished and erased from history. We will then finalize our plans and succeed where the Old-Age humans failed. We can finally transcend the limitations of sustenance and age, this time without losing our minds and our sanity." 

Xavier stopped his (in my opinion) megalomaniac speech to stare at us unsettlingly, "The success of the plan depends on you three. Each of you have the special ability bestowed upon you, it is up to you three to ensure that each part of the plan goes accordingly."

He then prodded the Shiganshina District representation once again, "This is the first point of entry. Bertolt, you will be the one to start the attack. Your objective is to carve a large-enough hole into the gate to Shiganshina, thus allowing other titans to enter. Reiner, you will be tasked with finding a way to enter Wall Maria through the Shiganshina District."

Both of them nodded, Bertolt more hesitantly than Reiner. Xavier then turned to me and said, "You, on the other hand, will lead the titans into Shiganshina district. Use the call."

I nodded. Xavier then continued, "You will be joined by an additional apprentice who has been trained outside this village. She will be conducting the same mission as you three, so I suggest you cooperate."

"Once you succeed in obtaining the coordinate, you four will be promoted to Special Operatives. As of right now, however, you will be promoted to warriors to conduct this task. Your ceremonies will take place following the completion of this mission."

Each of us nodded solemnly. While normally being promoted to warrior rank was an honor and an important rite to adulthood, in this case it was more of a forced promotion so we wouldn't break some old protocol of forbidding apprentices from taking life-threatening missions.

Xavier continued without pause, "The strike on Wall Maria is meant as a way for you to enter the Walls without much publicity. Remember the objective after this first stage; identify, extract, and retrieve the coordinate."

Reiner, who's brow was furrowed the entire time my stepfather was going over the Shiganshina stage, spoke up, "How will we be able to identify who or what is the coordinate, sir?"

Xavier replied smoothly, "The coordinate is a focal point to which all titans are forced to bend their will to. A coordinate has the ability to influence decisions of the abnormal, in other words the Titans. There are two in this world, one known and one unknown."

He unfurled another scroll, this one with noticeable signs of age, "The known one is a deviant titan known as the Ape Titan. The first titan, he was the original specimen that the Old Age scientists used. However, be wary of him. We have sent many excursions to obtain this titan, and we have had no response. We can only assume that they were eaten, mutilated beyond recognition, or worse."

He then concluded, "The other coordinate is unknown at this time. It is your jobs to seek out the other coordinate and retrieve it. If it is a person, convince him or her to join us. The lives of the Wall inhabitants are disposable."

I bit back a small growl at that, although Xavier seemed to know my true feelings either way from the way he glanced over to me.

"You are to return with the coordinate, or not at all."

After Xavier announced the mission of the century (literally) to the crowds, the three of us went to pack for the journey. We ended up meeting in the same forest that I was hunting in last time, and had gotten lost in. Bertolt had come with three horses, each of them specially raised for extended durations of riding. Reiner, meanwhile, held the mission scroll in hand.

An awkward silence pervaded the atmosphere until Bertolt decided to finally speak, "Well, looks like we're stuck together for some time then."

I nodded slowly while Reiner scoffed aloud, "It'll only be long if we don't do our jobs. Chances are we can get the coordinate during the first strike. He did say that the coordinate could control titans, after all."

Bertolt shook his head and replied, "We can't act on suspicions alone, though. If we act too hastily, we may come up with a dud."

Bertolt fixed the position of the saddle on his horse. I instinctively checked my own horse's saddle, which thankfully was set in the correct way. Bertolt noticed this and smiled sheepishly,

"Sorry, I don't usually use horses. In fact, this is the first time I'm sent out of the village."

I nodded.

Reiner laid the scroll on the floor and unfurled it. His golden eyes darted left and right as he went over the details quickly, taking in whatever he could learn from the scroll.

"This scroll basically tells us exactly what the Leader said back there, and then 'good luck'. What the hell does that mean?!"

Bertolt bent down to read the scroll as well.

"Well, according to this, we need to meet up with the fourth member before going to the Walls. Got any idea who he or she is?"

Reiner shook his head. I, however, didn't give any notice that I heard him even though I heard him fully.

Reiner peered at me curiously and asked, "You've been pretty quiet so far. You've got anything to add about this mission? Share some of your ideas, perhaps?"

I ignored Reiner's words momentarily to slip on my leggings and then mount my horse. Once I was fully mounted, I glanced back at Reiner to reply,

"I know our fourth member and where she is."

Alright, finished! I am going to go back to Chapter 1 to help with transitions a bit, fix up grammar (such as overuse of commas and connectors) and stuff. Also, does anyone know what age Eren was when Shiganshina fell?

This story is told completely from one POV, so anything that Rowan isn't thinking about won't be stated. I'm sure most people don't walk around thinking "I know how to add!" We will learn his abilities as we go, though!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N- I'm skipping the scene with retrieving Annie. If you guys want, I can post it up but since it's just filler I don't think anyone would be interested reading that.

We trotted across the countryside slowly, taking in the scenery while we still can. We were operating under moonlight, so the trees casted hideously intimidating shadows on our road. Occasionally, we've had to take a detour away from titans resting on the road, but for the most part the trip was eventless.

According to the scroll, our mission will last until our objectives were all completed. That meant we were to stay within the walls for an indeterminate amount of time, or in my words, 'A fucking long time'.

Bertolt, once again, tried another conversation starter, "Rowan, how's it like living with the Leader?"

Reiner sucked in air through his teeth while I gave Bertolt an 'I-am-not-impressed' look. Not to sound conceited or anything, but my strained relationship with my stepfather wasn't exactly top-secret no matter how much he tried to cover it up. However, judging from Bertolt's face he genuinely had no idea, so I decided to deign him a reply.

I said tersely, "Entertaining."

Annie shot me a curious glance when she caught the underlying 'I-don't-want-to-talk-about-it' tone.

Bertolt innocently continued, "Entertaining in what way?"

"Bertolt, you aren't supposed to continue asking people questions when they don't want to answer."

_Thanks, Reiner._

Bertolt looked confused for a second, but then his eyebrows shot past his brow ridge when he finally caught on. I could only mentally sigh at Bertolt's ignorance.

We continued onwards in silence. Bertolt looked sheepish and sad the entire time, making me feel a bit guilty being so cold to him.

Reiner looked back and eyed the road behind them suspiciously, "Stop, someone's following us."

Everyone slowed down to a halt and turned our horses to look behind us.

A figure on horseback was galloping to them. I squinted my eyes, trying to make out who it was.

"Is...is that Marcel?"

I cringed.

_Oh no, anyone but Marcel. This guy better be another Marcel. _

I tried to continue my usual disinterested face, but I failed pretty miserably.

Sadly, it was Marcel. He placed a calloused hand on my shoulder and said cheerfully,

"Rowan, long time no see! How's my favorite delinquent assassin?"

I shot him a glare, but his smile was too contagious. I gave up being cold and muttered,

"Fancy seeing you here, Marcel."

Bertolt looked confused and said, "Wait, you two know each other?"

Marcel grinned and squeezed my shoulders lightly, "We're best buds! We did everything together when we were little tykes! Did you know it was us that dyed the officers clo-"

I clamped a hand on his mouth and quickly said, "We have been acquaintances for a long time."

Marcel pushed my hand off his mouth and said, "Yeah, we've known each other since before he moved in with the Leader and before he became an insufferable, antisocial, introverted assassin!"

"I don't think I'm the insufferable one here."

Reiner had a sweatdrop forming on his brow, but he quickly wiped it off and said hastily,

"Marcel, why are you here? Our mission didn't mention anything about you coming with us."

Marcel turned to Reiner, shit eating grin never leaving his face,

"Well, the Council thought that having one more assassin on the team couldn't hurt. Besides, I'm the best shifter in our age group. Anyways, I was sent out in a hurry so I didn't get the full details of this mission from them. I heard something about attacking the Walls and protecting Bertolt while he does his job?"

Reiner nodded and said, "We have to find someone or something called a Coordinate. We also have to find a way to stop the Walls from discovering that a village possessing the secrets to becoming a titan exists."

Marcel's smile slipped slightly, "Stop the Walls from discovering the existence of Vertrauendorf? How do we do that?"

Reiner looked to the side and didn't respond. I grimaced and even Annie looked uncomfortable with the idea, if the foot shifting was anything to go by.

Marcel frowned, but sighed, "How do you plan on doing it?"

"Bertolt's titan form will break a hole into the brick gate of an outcrop of Shiganshina, while Annie and Rowan will draw titans into the walls. The titans will provide for a distraction while I destroy the gate to Wall Maria proper, and hopefully draw out the Coordinate with the huge influx of titans."

Marcel nodded and said, "I see."

Marcel turned to take a good look at everyone on the team, until his eyes landed on Annie.

"Well, hello there pretty. I haven't seen you around our village before."

Annie looked up and stared at Marcel in the eyes, grey orbs sending a shiver down my spine even though the look wasn't directed at me. Marcel's cocky grin slipped off his face and he squirmed under her gaze slightly. A ghost of a smirk passed through her face when Marcel's eyes flicked away from her's. She lightly said,

"I was brought up in a neighboring village."

Marcel nodded mutely but quickly covered up his discomfort and said, "Can we stop for the day now?

Reiner looked at the sky and nodded lightly, "Yea, the sun is about to come up. Let's dismount and head up for now."

Everyone dismounted and took out a roll of steel-wire cable from pouches strapped to their horses.

"Rowan, you and Marcel are the ones trained with the bow. Go out and quickly grab a deer or something for us. Annie, go look for firewood. Bertolt, strap the horses to a place where they won't be trampled by titans. I'll look for a good tree to stake out on."

Everyone nodded and headed off, Marcel sending me a cheerful grin to which I returned a small scowl.

"Oh dang, look at you and your haul. How many rabbits is that?"

I looked at the bunch of rabbits I was holding by the ear, still warm with the life they lost mere moments before.

"Seven or eight."

Marcel grinned and said, "Wow, you actually caught rabbits with your arrows? Seems like you've been brushing up on your skills."

I looked at what he caught and I swear my eyes bulged out of their sockets,

"You know, there's only five of us. We can't finish two deer, much less four."

He shrugged and finished tying the deer together with rope and said, "Food for the trip, I guess? We won't have such a nice hunting ground when we get closer to the walls."

I snorted in derision, "What, you're going to carry all that? That has to weigh at least 100 pounds total, I doubt our horses can carry both you and the deer at the same time."

Marcel grinned cheekily, "Who said we'll save the deer? We can save the rabbits. Combined, I bet they only weigh around 50 pounds. Any stallion worth their hooves can carry a ten-year old and ten rabbits."

Now, I am pretty sure he's only doing this to annoy me, but I couldn't doubt that I saw the logic in that. I glanced up at the sky to check the time, and my eyes widened,

"We can discuss whose meat is better later, we have to go. The sun's out."

Marcel's perpetual smile turned into a thin line and he nodded. He glanced back at the deer that he tied together and sighed, cutting off three of them from the bunch. Tying a rope around the two remaining deer, he slung it over his right shoulder.

"Alright, let's go."

A mad dash ensued, as titans left and right began waking up from their conscious slumber. Their movements were still sluggish, thankfully, so we went largely without incident.

"Heads up, aberrant 11 o'clock, closing in fast."

Curse my brain.

"Marcel, switch blades. I'll take care of the deviant."

Marcel nodded and quickly took two sheathed sabres out of his belt and threw them at me. I, in turn, threw my hand-and-a-half sword over to him as well as the rabbits. I easily caught the two sabres and ran off to the side while Marcel lugged the food and my blade forward at the same pace as before, albeit now with much more noticeable strain.

I rolled my shoulders as I unsheathed the two sabres, loosening the muscles so they don't get overly tight when I'm swinging for the kill. The aberrant saw me and decided to change course and head towards me instead. I hastily darted past its hands and ran towards the feet.

_SHLINKK SHLINKK_

The deviant's ligaments in the foot were cut, forcing the titan to fall backwards. I quickly ran to the tree that the titan was falling towards, throwing a rope so it would hook onto the top branch. The titan impacted the tree and slumped forwards, momentarily dazed. I quickly grabbed both ends of the rope and forced the rope to move in a pendulum sort of motion by using a running start. I swung over the titan's neck and drew out both of the sabres in one hand.

Using the momentum of the swing, I stiffened my arm muscles and drew a deep cut into the nape of the titan's neck, widening then narrowing the cut so it would be a biconvex cut. Similar to the utilization of chopsticks, just with deadly 2-feet long blades rather than a 7-inch piece of wood.

It was a quick death for the deviant.

I landed on a nearby tree branch, pulling on one side of the rope when I landed safely on the branch. As I rolled the rope back up, I squinted and scanned the landscape for any sign of Marcel. Luckily, I found him almost immediately and I dashed forwards, leaping from branch to branch, in order to reach him.

"Chopstick motion again?"

I nodded in reply. We quickly returned our items back to each other, Marcel grimacing slightly at his steaming sabres.

"Do you see Reiner anywhere?"

As if on cue, Reiner's voice echoed through the forest, "Over here!"

I looked up, tired blue-grey eyes staring at Reiner's form. He was standing on a large branch, which was interconnected with another branch from a neighbouring tree.

Marcel grinned and said, "Yo, a little help here? Our haul is really heavy!"

Reiner took the harness-turned-elevator and pulled on the rope, bringing the harness down slowly. Marcel quickly untied the deer and handed them over to Reiner. He shouldered the deer and rode the pulley back up.

"I wonder who's bright idea it was to make an elevator."

"Mine."

Marcel jumped and turned around. The small form of Annie appeared behind them, walking forwards casually. She was holding a large bundle of sticks, slightly damp from the morning dew but can still be used.

Marcel looked like he was about to say something but decided against it. We ended up waiting wordlessly for the harness to come back down for us. One by one we went up into the large branches, each carrying some items up.

I sat down and rested a skewered rabbit on the makeshift fireplace in the tree. Normally, we wouldn't even think about putting a fire in the middle of a tree branch, but Bertolt thoughtfully covered everything around the fire with damp soil.

"You know, people within the walls usually do camping at night."

I looked up from my cooking at Marcel, whose blue eyes were hidden from view with his bangs. His grip on his stick was unnaturally strong, turning his hand white.

"They can go cook under the Big Dipper and the watchful eye of Orion, all the while illuminated by the Moon."

Reiner replied to Marcel while still staring at his rabbit, "So?"

Marcel shook his head and looked up with a small smile, "Nothing. Just something I thought about."

_Marcel…are you second guessing?_

To be honest, I wasn't necessarily 100% with this plan either. The fact that I hate my stepfather aside, I trained as an assassin so I could protect our people. That's how me and Marcel got our blades, while the other three don't. We weren't originally trained for titan against titan combat, but our titan forms were deemed to be more than essential for this landmark search-and-seizure mission.

Assassins' jobs were to use blades to defeat deviants in their home territory, whereas Shifters' jobs were to go in hard and take out the masses of regular titans. They were expected to defeat any regular titan 1v1, leaving the tougher titans to us assassins that can cut out their neck in one strike. There was also a small print when applying for the job of shifters; you may be called to do infiltration missions against non-shifter colonies. Anyone with half a brain will know that they meant the Walls.

The Assassin corps had no such small print. Our jobs were laid out plain before us to see, without any small print or gotchas. Which was why I was so surprised when they initially told I would take part in this mission.

"Marcel, do you want to go camping when we make it inside?"

Marcel looked at me, unsure blue eyes meeting my neutral silver. I offered him a small smile and Marcel's attitude immediately lightened up a ton,

"Yeah, sure! I'm sure Wall Rose has plenty of grassland that we can take up for a camping trip." 

Reiner spoke out, "We'll do that the second we finish the Wall Maria part. I have to admit, camping under the nightly lights sounds amazing."

Bertolt smiled and nodded in reply.

I turned to Annie, who was yet to give an answer in any form. She caught my stare and then turned back to the rabbit hurriedly, replying,

"…sure."

Marcel grinned like a little kid with a huge box of chocolates.

After the (very filling) lunch, everyone had trudged to take an afternoon nap in the shade. I decided to forgo this opportunity to catch up on some sleep, though, in favour of talking to the one person that I actually knew in our little city-destroying troupe.

I found him sitting in the top-most branch of the tree. I grabbed a rope and pulled myself up to the branch, coming to the top with a slight huff.

If Marcel noticed me, he didn't look like it. I walked over to him and sat down, facing the same direction.

"So, you really want to go camping under the moonlight?" 

_What's really on your mind?  
_

Marcel replied, "Yeah."

_I'd rather not say._

I pressed on, though.

"What's so special about the moonlight?"

_I know what you're thinking, mind sharing?_

Marcel turned to me, startled, but then relaxed and replied, "You always knew me. How can you do it, but I never know what goes through your mind?"

I looked down and said, "You know perfectly well what goes through my mind most of the time." 

Marcel laughed hollowly, "Oh really, I'm pretty sure you aren't thinking about patricide most of the time." 

I shrugged, "No, but it does show up pretty often."

"Really, now? What goes through your mind most of the time?"

I narrowed my eyes, "Don't try and change the subject, Marcel."

Marcel's face contorted into confusion, "What are you talking about? I'm not changing the subject."

"You know you are."

"Well, that's all nice and all, but I know I'm not trying to. Oh, and for your information, I find the moonlight more soothing than the sun."

He stood up from the branch and walked over to the trunk, whipping out two picks to climb back down the tree. He turned and said to me,

"You should be sleeping right now."

_You shouldn't have tried._

"You should as well."

_I'll damn well keep trying until you spill your beans._

Marcel shook his head and jumped off. I stared at the spot that he leapt off from, listening to the steady decrescendo of picks smacking into the tree trunk.

"Sunset is here, let's move."

I cracked my eyes open, face to face with the reddening sky. Reiner had already packed our stuff and was standing at the base of the tree, waiting patiently for us to wake up. I looked around to see who else is still sleeping, and a small smirk crawled onto my face when I saw Annie still sleeping noiselessly.

I made my way over to Annie's makeshift bed silently, making sure to avoid any twigs and trees. I slinked to her and held out my hands besides her right ear.

_CLAP. CLAP. CLAP. _

Annie's right eyelid fluttered open and she looked up to my smirking face. Reiner called up to us,

"Come on guys, you two are the last ones awake."

Annie stared at my face for a split second more then averted her eyes and she muttered,

"I don't like waking up to obnoxious loud auditory cues."

I had my back turned but I bet she could feel the dark humor rolling off of me in spades. She didn't give any indication, though, and set about doing the morning routine without any sign of being annoyed at the rude awakening.

I grabbed my harness and jumped off the tree, landing on the soft dirt flawlessly. I walked over to my steed, quickly fixing up the horse equipment for the long ride ahead. As I climbed on, Reiner rode up besides me and murmured lowly,

"What happened to Marcel?"

I looked over at Marcel, internally wincing when his expression was still the same as earlier. He caught my gaze and turned his entire horse away from them, facing the road to the walls.

I shrugged to Reiner. He sucked on his teeth, face contorted in a sour expression.

"Marcel seems so out of it today. We're only a day and a half away, but then he pulls this shit. His attitude can jeopardise the entire mission."

I stared at Reiner for a second, unsure about how I should go about answering that. Reiner's expectant expression was clearly focused on me, but I have no solution.

"What makes you think I can do anything about it?", I said a bit too coldly.

Reiner narrowed his eyes at me which I returned all too happily. After the shortest staring contest ever, Reiner averted his gaze and sighed, "You seem to the one who knows Marcel the most, I assumed that you would know what's bugging him."

I don't know what came over me right there, but I suddenly felt extremely annoyed. My normally neutral and cold demeanour was washed away by a torrent of anger. Reiner must have seen the angered glint I gave him because he stepped back.

"Don't assume.", I said and stormed off. I could feel Reiner's gaze burning gigantic holes into my back. I turned my head slightly to see Bertolt walk over to Reiner with worried eyes. He sent me a glance and immediately turned back when he caught me staring. I mentally huffed and continued over to where the horses were.

There, I saw Annie grabbing the reins to her white steed, back turned to me. When she heard my footsteps smacking against the dirt, she angled her head slightly over her head to see who it was.

"Rowan."

A simple statement, really. I nodded at Annie and continued on uninterrupted to my horse. I awkwardly petted the beast, to which he snorted audibly and pedalled the floor impatiently.

_Taking down the Walls will kill thousands of innocents…_

I gripped my reins from the trunk it was tied to, slowly untying the knot.

_The survivors, heartbroken at the loss of parents, husbands, wives, sons, daughters…_

I finally untied the knot, tugging the rope off the trunk in a single strong pull.

_Mingle with the ones we took everything away from…_

Grabbing the reins, I hoisted myself up onto the horse.

_All in the name of my stepfather's wishes._

I shook my head to get rid of these pitiful thoughts and gripped my reins a little too tightly. I raised my arms and cracked them, signalling for the horse to move.

"Got something on your mind?"

Annie rode up to me, her familiar bored disposition never wavering. I inadvertently thought back to when I lost my cool with Reiner.

_Why did I get so annoyed at him, anyways?_

"Nothing. Just vague thoughts about vague topics."

Annie nodded and replied, "Ah."

A moment of silence passed between us as we rode to where everyone else was. However, the feeling of guilt that Marcel had planted in me grew exponentially during the short ride. I needed an outlet.

"If you were given the choice, would you have taken this mission? Knowing that it will result in the deaths of thousands?"

Annie didn't visibly move and for a second there I thought she didn't hear me. Soon, though, she replied softly,

"I see you've given this topic some thought as well."

I started at the addition of the words "as well" behind that statement. Annie took some time to collect her thoughts,

"Yes, yes I would."

I sighed inaudibly, but Annie cut me off before I can even reply.

"However, it isn't the reason you are thinking." 

The way Annie said that made me stiffen; she said it in one of those soft tones that people generally use when they're referring to something personal.

"I was born to a forbidden marriage; my father was a rascal while my mother was part of the high class, the ones that could shift, the class that all of us are a part of. Even though it's not illegal, my mother's family was highly unsupportive of them. They would find the smallest wrongdoing and turn it into a major scandal. Eventually, my mother was sent to prison because of indecent exposure, even though in reality all she did was accidentally rip her blouse."

I stayed silent when she paused briefly to gauge my reaction.

"My father decided it wasn't safe anymore for either of us, so we left the village in self-imposed exile. The village we first met in took us in without another word, but even they relegated us to live on the outskirts, where encounters with cannibals are not uncommon.

We eventually got word that my mom was having health issues via one of the few friends we still had. My father tried to negotiate her release with your stepfather, but he refused him and formally banished my father from the village. We later got news that my mother took her own life while still in prison, suffering from consumption.

He soon sent in assassins to try and kidnap me. That's when my father decided that I needed to be able to protect myself, so we trained. Eventually, your stepfather gave up his attempts to take me forcefully and offered us amnesty, under one condition. That condition is the reason why I am here right now."

I couldn't tell whether I should be surprised hearing so much from Annie, or surprised that she had just launched into a whole speech about her entire life up until that point, albeit in an extremely condensed form.

"I..."

Annie shook her head and interrupted, "I don't have a particular reason why I said all that, I guess I just need a confidant."

She shot me a look that looks like she was halfway between a smirk and a grin.

It was only when we arrived at our destination where I realised she never answered the second part of my question.

I originally was going to end at when they're inside the gates, but then I wanted to insert stuff about Marcel first, and develop the characters a bit. I already have the entire invasion typed (it was actually pretty short, only 3k-ish words), but I need a basis for the reason why characters act the way they will in the next few chapters.

The next chapter will be another character development chapter, leading up to the beginning of the invasion. Also, if there are consistency issues (such as with who shifts and who doesn't (I will fix that when I upload the next chapter), please tell me!


End file.
